Cody, Wyoming Again One of the “Best Small Towns in the West” in USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards

CODY, Wyo., April 9, 2025 – For the second consecutive year, Cody has been named one of the Best Small Towns in the West by readers of USA Today.

The area is renowned for its outdoor recreation.

Founded in 1896 by Colonel William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the town has been a destination for many generations of travelers seeking a Western experience as well as those on their way to or from Yellowstone National Park. The region called Cody Yellowstone is noted for its rodeo, dude/guest ranches, fly fishing, museums (including the Smithsonian-affiliated Buffalo Bill Center of the West) and more. In recent years recreational offerings such as hiking, camping, rock climbing and horseback riding in warm weather and skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and ice climbing in winter have gained popularity.

“A lot of visitors tell me that they could see themselves living here, and I believe that attitude is reflected in this vote,” said Ryan Hauck, executive director of Cody Yellowstone, the marketing arm for the region that includes the towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse, a large swath of the Shoshone National Forest and about half

Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
The Whitney Western Art Museum has been named the Best Art Museum in the U.S.

of Yellowstone National Park. “We take pride in welcoming people from every corner of the world and displaying our Western hospitality.”

Cody is known as the “Rodeo Capitol of the World.”

Cody Yellowstone has garnered numerous other awards and media accolades recently. For example, it has been recognized twice – with the top ranking in 2024 – for 10 Best Small Town Beer Scenes in the U.S. by USA Today. The destination was also named one of the Top Rafting Destinations in the U.S. by Newsweek, one of the Best Small Towns in the West by USA Today, Top Small Town Arts Scenes and a Top Art Town by Travel + Leisure. Additionally, the Whitney Western Art Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West was named the Best Art Museum in the U.S. by Newsweek. Recently it was named for the second consecutive year a “Top Western Town” by the editors of True West magazine. The Irma Hotel was also recognized as one of the “Best Who Slept Here” hotels for the second year in a row.

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Home of the Great American Adventure, Cody Yellowstone is comprised of the northwestern Wyoming towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse as well as the valley east of Yellowstone National Park. The region is known for rodeos, authentic guest and dude ranches, world-class museums and recreational adventures that reflect the adventurous spirit of the visionaries and explorers who brought the remote region to the world’s attention.

Related hashtags:
#YellowstoneCountry
#CodyWyoming
#CenteroftheWest
#BuffaloBill
#Yellowstone
#ThatsWY

Media contact:
Mesereau Travel Public Relations
720-284-1512
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